Machine for making wire garment hangers



Nov. 3, 1936. BOY 2,059,171

MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE GARMENT HANGERS Filed Jan. 6, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 3, 1936. 0X5. BOYLEQ MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE GARMENT HANGERS Fild Jan. 6, less 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q u NQ l U 0 LB J 00 u n 1 4 n Q Rm 0 MR i. um 00 DD. B D. DD BU M m mm Nov. 5, 1936.

4 Sheets-Sheet s Filed Jan. 6, 1936 NOV. 3, 1936, D, BIQYLESI 2,059,771

MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE GARMENT HANGERS Filed Jan. 6, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 3, 1936 I MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE GARMENT HANGERS David s. Boyles, Rock Hill, .s. 0., assignor to [National Wire Goods Manufacturing Company, Rock Hill, S. 0., a partnership composed of David S. Boyles and W. J. Boyles Application January 6, 1936, Serial No. 57,820

' 12 Claims. (01. 140-71) The invention has relation to machines for making wire garment hangers, being an improvement upon the machine of my Patent No. 1,941,430, granted December 26, 1933. I

An object of the invention-is to provide means for accomplishing a slight' reverse rotation of the means for twisting the shank wires of the hanger to thereby allow for inherent back spring of said wires at the end of the twisting operation and to adapt the twisting means to be propwires.

erly positioned to receive the shank wires of the next succeeding hanger. Another object is to adapt said twisting means to mo're readily release the twisted shank wires. Another object is to provide improved means to facilitate the crossing of the end portions of the wire of the hanger prior to bending the same to form the shank Another. object is to provide improved means for forming the hanger hook whereby said hook will be centered with respect to the twisted shank and will be as a whole shorter and require less wire, and whereby the hook, which has inherent back spring of the wire thereof after completion of the bending, will be more readily released on reverse rotation of the hook forming head. Another object is to provide means for varying the lengthof the hangers including ad-- justable lugs or projections around which the ends of the hanger are bent and to adapt said lugs .to be reground and used indefinitely. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

The inventionconsists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial plan view of the machine, showing the wire bending levers in position nearly closed, and the end portions of the wire of the hanger bent toposition crossing each other; Figure 2 is a similarview with the wire bending levers in closed position to form the body of the hanger and the end bends of the wire thereof; Figure 3 is a partial plan view showing one end of the machine, parts being broken away, and showing the hook forming head, the twister head and the operating parts thereof; Figure 4 is an end view ofthe machine, hidden parts .being shown in dotted linesyFigure 5 is a side view of the machine; Figure 6 is a detail plan view, showing the ends of the wire bending levers in closed position and the parallel. end bends of. the wire of the hanger, parts being broken away; Figure 7 is a similar view, showing the twister head engaging said end bends and the end bends twisted together; Figure 8 is a similar view showing the hook-forming head engaging the longer of said end bends; Figure 9 is a similar view showing the hook forming head rotated to form the hook, and Figure 10 is a detail side view of the hanger.

The,patent aforesaid is referred to for the means for feeding the wire blanks successively to position to the wire'bending means; the means for delivering the completed hangers, and for any other necessary means not claimed herein.

In these drawings, the numeral I3 designates the wire blank bending levers, fulcrumed at H to the framing, and haying upstanding projections l5, which in the operation of said levers take hold of thewire end portions and bend the same around projections or lugs 28 and towards each other to form the shoulder bends of the hanger.

In the present machine, these" lugs or projections are elongated and slotted at HI and are held stationary by means of bolts 282, having clamping nuts thereon which are loosened in making adjustment of the lugs endwise and clamped again in position to hold the adjustment,

this endwise adjustment of the lugs providing means for varying the length of the hangers and for taking up wear; so that the lugs may be reground and used indefinitely. The lugs 28 are also reversible end for end in case of need, this facilitating assembly.

In the machine of said patent, when the wire bending levers l3 are moved from the dotted line position to the full line position of Figure. 3 of To facilitate this crossing of the wire end portions, guides therefor are sometimes used.

In the present machine, inorder to facilitate such crossing a simpler means is used in that one of said wire end portionsprior to crossing the other is engaged with a vertical post l02,to retard the wire end portion, which in the furtherv movement of the wire bending levers is causem snap past said post and the other wire end portion, the impetus of the movement causing the crossing to be effected the more readily. As shown the post I02 is adapted to deflect the wire endportion engaged thereby slightly lat- .erally and rearwardly so that it may more readily pass the other wire end portion during the crossing. I

The twister shaft 56 instead of being rotated by the means of said patent is rotated by the following means:

A train of intermeshed gears comprises pinion 58 of the patent, a lower large drive gear-59, and intermediate gears. pinion 58 being located on the twister shaft 55 as in the patent.

The drive gear 59 is loose on its jack shaft and in order to rotate this gear step by step intermittently and progressively in the same direction the shaft 19 of thepatent is extended and provided at its outer end with a rotary arm 60, having a rounded free end engaging successively during successive rotations thereof each ofsix spaced rollers, 6| carried by said drive gear laterally thereof.

In this way each rotation of the arm ill rotates drive gear 59 one sixth of a rotation, the gear ratio of the train of gears'being adapted to thereby rotate the twister shaft 56 two complete turns which is the amount needed to make a double twist in the shank wires of the hanger."

At the end of each one sixth rotation of the drive gear 59, a safety stop lever 62 is operated by its spring 63 to engage its nose between two adjacent of the rollers 6| to thereby intermittently check the rotation of said drive gearf'an arm Gil of said stop lever being engaged by rotary arm 60 to disengage the nose of the stop 'lever from between the two adjacent rollers of shank wires of the hanger, due to back spring of the .wires after the double twist thereof is completed, a slight reverse rotation of the operating means aforesaid for the twister shaft is provided for, as otherwise the twister head would be left past parallel with the shank wires and would not properlyvreceive the shank wires of the-next succeeding hanger, another advantage of said slight reverse rotation being that the twister head 51 is thereby adapted to more readily release the shank wires after the double twist thereof is completed. a

This slight reverse movement of the operating means referred to is accomplished by pivoted arm 622, the free end of which overlies one of the rollers 5|, said pivoted arm being slightly raised at the end portion of each one sixth rotation of drive gear 59 by the underlying roller, to'there- I by tension the spring 623 of said arm, so that at the endof the one sixth rotation of the-drive gear, thepivoted arm will be caused by its tensioned spring to engage the underlying roller and accomplish the slight reverse movement. .This

reverse movement is limited by contact of said pivoted arm with a stop 624, this contact being retained until the next succeeding roller 6! engages the said arm to again raise the same. The nose of the stop lever 62 engaging betwen two adjacent rollers Si is adapted to permit this reverse movement, due to the fact that said nose is slightly narrower than the space between said rollers, thereby providing a space 525 between said nose and the lower of said rollers.

- The hook forming means includes a rotary head 54, carrying a roller 65 and a stationary lug "I, the latter having on, the side opposed to said roller a flat face 662, said lug having prefroller.

In the bending of the hook during rotation of said head, due to the flat face 662 of the lug and the fact that both and roller and the lug have the major portions thereof both located upon one semi-circular half of'said head, the arcuate portion of the hook is centered with respect to the shank of the hanger and the hook as a whole is made shorter and requires less wire than the hook of the patent, a further advantage being that the hook, which is subject to a certain amount of back spring after the bending thereof is completed, is released more freely from the said head. 4

I claim:-

1. In a machine for making wire garment hangers, means for bending successive wire blanks into form including levers having upstanding projections, the machine having cooperating stationary projections around which the wire the wire blank end portions are ,bent in the operation of said levers; said stationary projections being elongated and slotted and adjustable endwiseto make different length hangers, and also adjustable end for end.

3. In a machine for making wire garment hangers, ,means for .bending successive wire blanks into form including levers having up-' standing projections, the machine having cooperating stationary projections around which the wire blank end portions are bent in the oper-' ation' of said levers to form the shoulder bends in the hanger and to cause said wire end portions to cross each other; said stationary projections being elongated and slotted and adjustable endwise to make different length hangers, and means to facilitate the crossing of said wire end portions comprising means for retarding one of said wire end portions to cause it to snap past the other wire end portion.

4. In a machine formaking wire garment hangers, means for bending successive wire blanks into form including levers having upstanding'projections, the machine having cooperating stationary projections around which the wire biank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers to form the shoulder bends in the hanger and to cause said wire end portions to crosseach other; said stationary projections being elongated and slotted and adjustable endwise to make different length hangers, and means to facilitate the crossing of said wire end portions comprising post means for retarding and deflect ing one of said wire end portions to cause it to snap past the other wire end portion.

5. In a machine for making wire garment hangers, means for bending successive 'wire' I blanks into form including levers having upstanding projections, the machine having cooperating stationary projections around which the wire blank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers to form' the shoulder bends in the cross each other: and means to facilitate the crossing of said wire end portions comprising post means for retarding and deflecting one of said wire end portions to cause it to snap past the other wire end portion.

6. In a machine for making wire garment hangare, means for bending successive wire blanks into form having parallel straight end bends including levers having upstanding projections, the machine having cooperating projections around whichjth'e wire blank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers to form the shoulder bends in the hanger and to cause said-wire end portions to cross each other prior to having the straight end bends formed therein, and means for twisting said end bends together. comprising a twister shaft and means for rotating saidshaft;

means to facilitate the crossing of said wire end portions comprising post means for retarding and deflecting one of said wire end portions to cause it to snap past the other wire end portion, said shaft rotating means comprising means for rotating the same intermittently and progressivelyv in the samedirection in twisting the end bends wire end portions to cross each other prior to having the straight end bends formed therein,

and means for twisting said end-bends together comprising a twister shaft and means for rotating the same; means to facilitate the crossing of said wire end portions comprising post means for retarding and ,deflectingone of said wire end portions to cause it to snap past the other wire end portion, said shaft rotating means comprising means for rotating the shaft intermittently and progressivelyin the same direction in twisting the end bends of successive hangers, and

means cooperating with said shaft rotating means for rotating said shaft slightly reversely intermediate successive forward rotations thereof to allow for"backspring'of the twisted end bends. '8. In a machine for making wire garment hangers, means for bending successive wire blanks into form having parallel straight end'bends including levers having upstanding projections, the machinehaving cooperating projections around which the wire blank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers, and means for twisting said end bends together comprising a twister shaft and means for rotating the same; said shaft rotating means comprising means for rotating the shaft intermittently and progressively in the same direction in twisting the end bends of successive hangers.

' 9. In a machine for making wire garment hangers, means for bending successive wire blanks into form having parallel straight end bends including levers having upstanding projections, the machine having cooperating projections around which the wire blank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers, and means for twisting said end bends together comprising a twister shaft and means for rotating said shaft; said shaft rotating means comprising means for roaosomr tating the shaft intermittently and progressively in the same direction in twisting the end bends of successive hangers, and means cooperating with the shaft rotating means for rotating the shaft slightly reversely intermediate successive forward rotations thereof to allowfor backspring of the twisted end bends.

10. In a machine for making wire garment hangers, means for bending successive wire blanks into form having parallel straight end bends of different lengths including levers having upstanding projections, the. machine having coopera lng projections around which the wire blank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers, means for twisting said end bends together comprising a twister shaft and means for rotat ing the same, and means for bending the extreme end portion of the longer of said end bends into book form including a rotary head having two spaced projections both of which are eccentric to the axis of rotation of said head; said shaft rotating means comprising means for'rotating the shaft intermittently and progressively in thehangers, means for bending successive wire blanks into form having parallel straight end bends of 3 different lengths including levers having .u'pstanding projections, the machine having cooperating projections around which the wire blank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers, means for twisting said end bends together comprising a twister shaft and means for rotating the same, and means for bending the extreme end portion of the longer of said end bends into hook form including a rotary head having two spaced projections both of which are eccentric to the axis of rotation of said head with the major portions thereof located upon one semi-circular half of said head: said shaft rotating means comprising means for rotating the shaft intermittently and progressively in .the same direction in twisting the end bends of successive hangers, means cooperating with the shaft rotating means for rotating the shaft slightly reversely intermediate successive forward rotations thereof, one of said projections of the rotary head being a roller and the other projection being stationary and having a flat face disposed facing said roller.

12. In a machine for making wire garment hangers, means for bending successive wire blanks into form having parallel straight end bends of different lengths including levers having upstanding projections, the machine having cooperating projections around which the wire blank end portions are bent in the operation of said levers, means for twisting said end bends together,

and means for bending the extreme end portion of the longer of said end bends into hook form including a rotary head having two spaced projections both of which are eccentric to the axis of rotation of said head; one of the projections DAVID B. BOYLEB. 

